A. Edward Sutherland

Albert Edward Sutherland (January 5, 1895 – December 31, 1973) was a film director and actor. Born in London, he was from a theatrical family. His father, Al Sutherland, was a theatre manager and producer and his mother, Julie Ring, was a vaudeville performer. He was a nephew of both Blanche Ring and Thomas Meighan, who was married to Frances Ring, another of his mother's sisters.[1][2][3]

A. Edward Sutherland
Born(1895-01-05)January 5, 1895
London, England
DiedDecember 31, 1973(1973-12-31) (aged 78)
Palm Springs, California, United States
Other namesEddie Sutherland
Years active1914–1961
Spouse(s)5, including:
​
​
(m. 1923; div. 1925)​

​
​
(m. 1926; div. 1928)​
RelativesBlanche Ring (aunt)
Cyril Ring (uncle)

Sutherland acted in 37 known films early in his career, beginning as a Keystone Cop in Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914), which starred Charles Chaplin, Mabel Normand, and Marie Dressler.

Career

Sutherland was directed by Charles Chaplin in A Woman of Paris (1923), two years before Sutherland began his directing career with the help of Chaplin.

Frequently billed as "Eddie Sutherland," he is best known as a director; he directed more than 50 movies between 1925 and 1956. His breakout film was Behind the Front (1926), which made stars of leads Wallace Beery and Raymond Hatton and established Sutherland as a comedic director.[4] He had an especially hard time working with Stan Laurel, whom he disliked ("I'd rather eat a tarantula than work with Laurel again"). On the other hand, he became close friends with the more famously acerbic W.C. Fields, with whom he established a lifelong friendship,[5] though by at least one account they got off to a rocky start.[6] In 1940, he directed One Night in the Tropics, which was the film debut of Abbott and Costello. Other notable films include Palmy Days, International House, Too Much Harmony, The Flying Deuces, The Navy Comes Through, Dixie, and Follow the Boys.

Sutherland's last directing assignment was working on the Mack & Myer for Hire TV comedies with Joey Faye and Mickey Deems for Sandy Howard TV Productions and Trans-Lux Television in 1965.

Personal life

Sutherland was married five times. Among his wives were Marjorie Daw (from 1923 to 1925) and Louise Brooks (from July 1926 to June 1928). He and Brooks met on the set of It's the Old Army Game, which he directed and which also co-starred his aunt Blanche Ring. Brooks and Sutherland did not have a happy marriage; there were numerous reports on both sides of infidelity. He did not have children in any of his marriages. Sutherland lived in and owned the Calypso Apartments in South Palm Springs, California, where he died in 1973.[7]

Filmography

As actor

As director

References
  1. Barry Paris, 1990, Louise Brooks, Anchor Books, p. 147 ISBN 0385415591
  2. Who Was Who on Screen, p. 444 2nd Edition, 1977 by Evelyn Mack Truitt ISBN 0835209148
  3. Silent Film Necrology, p. 507 2nd Edition 2001 by Eugene M. Vazzana ISBN 0786410590
  4. Paris, p. 148
  5. "Feingold on Old Movies for Theater Lovers: A. Edward Sutherland's International House (1933)". May 2021.
  6. Eagan, Daniel (26 November 2009). America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry. ISBN 9781441116475.
  7. Meeks, Eric G. (2014) [2012]. The Best Guide Ever to Palm Springs Celebrity Homes. Horatio Limburger Oglethorpe. pp. 305–307. ISBN 978-1479328598.
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